As evidenced by the development of Tainan City's Peiyuan military community in 1994 and Hsinchu City's festival for military communities across the nation in 1997, interest in military communities is strong around the country.
More recently, we have seen the making of a documentary on the demolition and relocation of 1 Air Force Community in Sanchong, a cultural festival for military communities around the nation in Taoyuan and the screening of Wang Wei-chung's (王偉忠) documentary about his mother and her daily life in a military community. These developments are all intended to educate the public about these communities and their cultural significance.
However, efforts to preserve the culture and history of military communities face challenges on two fronts: political and legal.
Politically speaking, a minority of people regard these communities as ghettos whose residents do not identify with Taiwan. Such individuals refuse to recognize the uniqueness and multicultural value of these communities. This reflects a misunderstanding of both people and history, as well as the conflict over national identity that has raged in recent years.
Simply put, the legal challenge to these communities is that existing legislation is insufficient. Crucially, military communities differ from the private or public buildings and sites mentioned in the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保護法). The ministry in charge of military communities is the Ministry of National Defense, whose primary interests in this regard are land development, capital allocation and the construction of new communities. The problem is that the officials in charge seem unwilling to preserve these cultural assets. The need to follow the law combined with inevitable inertia means that the unique military community culture will vanish as the government continues to demolish and reconstruct military communities.
Military communities are tangled up with the divisive issue of national identity, which results in problems that cannot easily be solved. However, common misunderstandings must be clarified. For example, in the past, these communities existed for the benefit of the dependents of military personnel. But today they are home to veterans. They have never been simply Mainlander households, as most are multicultural. The first generation of Mainlanders married across ethnic lines, as have later generations. The history of these communities is the history of first-generation Mainlanders forming families with Taiwanese residents and putting down roots here.
For most Taiwan-born descendants of Mainlanders, home is where their parents and grandparents live. The preservation of military community culture is the preservation of their homes and their memories of home. Faced with a cultural preservation project that may be politically controversial, we must take a broader view and not handle the issue based on narrow political interests.
To deal with the issue of insufficient legislation, the Association of Mainlander Taiwanese is working together with lawmakers from different political parties to push for the amendment of articles 1, 4 and 14 of the Act for Rebuilding Old Quarters for Military Dependents (國軍老舊眷村改建條例).
Military communities embody the lasting memories of many Mainlanders and Taiwanese mothers and their offspring. We call on the public to show greater tolerance and goodwill for the better of Taiwan's future, so that we can build a homeland for all of us.
Chang Mau-kuei is chairman of the Association of Mainlander Taiwanese.
Translated by Lin Ya-ti
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing